Make It or Break It

Let's get down to the nitty gritty of the story, shall we. We'll focus more on creative writing for the moment.

What makes a good story or not? Let's examine that for a moment, shall we? Ask yourself a couple of questions: What do you like in a story? (What kind do you read?) Who's the story targeted towards? (Young adults? Your grandchildren? etc.) What makes you keep reading a story to the end? Why did you pick up that particular story in the first place? Was it the cover art for the piece? (Believe it or not, the old adage: Don't judge a book by its cover, is dead wrong. Most publishers will tell you, if the cover isn't appealing, no one will pick your book up. But that comes later, after your work is finished. But that's part of the design phase of the finished product.) Was it the size of the piece? Are you the type of person that wants to get to the last page of a story and find out who done it? (How long it was) or was it simply because the title of the piece was interesting to you?

All of these things can 'Make or Break' a story. You have to examine all of these elements when you undertake writing any story. Especially when you write to make money. And ultimately that is what everyone who calls themselves writers wants to do. From short stories, to novels, newspaper articles to magazine articles, all of it adds up to one thing: Money. I know some people wouldn't agree with that, but you have to ask yourself if that isn't the case, why are you here? Why are you reading this in a hub that will make you money if all you want to do is gain knowledge? (But that's another Hub, for another day.)

Some magazine articles that are written are for a certain age group, or demographic. Others are written to a certain length. Or even to a certain standard. For example, one wouldn't put a children's fantasy story in a magazine for Computer Sciences. (That's targeting your audience for what and who you write for.)

What are the main focuses for any story or article, or piece that you'd like to create?

1. What is the story about?
2. Who are the main characters?
3. How long do you think the story will be? (This is a subjective thing in all stories unless specifically spelled out to you when you undertake an assignment of any kind, as explained above.)
4. Try to write down (jot down if you prefer) all of the descriptive adjectives you can to make your story come to life for the ones reading it.
5. Where is the story located?
6. When is all of this happening?
7. Why did it happen?
8. And finally, What happened?

Can you see the similarities in both styles of writing? Although all of the elements are there for each, it depends on how the story is put together that determines how it is classified. And the most important element in all creative writing is the writers imagination. Whether it's fantasy (which I love, and have written), fiction (probably couldn't go through life without it), or how to articles, the imagination of the writer can 'Seal the deal'. Try to make it interesting and above all understanding. One of the best pieces of advice I can give anyone is to have an audience of your choosing read what you've written. It doesn't matter whether they like the story, even from negative feedback you'll come away from the experience with something. Trust me on this one, let someone read what you've written. My worst critique is myself, so i can't judge too severely. But, say I let my mother read it. She'll tear me up, then tell me how'd she do it. And she's never written anything in her life more than a letter to a relative. But she knows what she likes.

I, like others before me am an aspiring author. I'll probably never be in the ranks of Robert Asprin, or Stephen King, or Dean Koontz, but there's always hope. I write because I love to do it. NOT because I have to. And you, dear reader should do the same. Become passionate in your writing. Tell a story. Then tell everyone else who will listen.

Another thing is to never give up. If you really want to 'Make it or Break it' in writing, you have to constantly keep writing. One of the best things you can do is to get yourself a Blog or site on the internet and simply put down what you think or feel. A journal if you will. Let your imagination run away from you and let the stream of words keep flowing. Don't stop. Just let it come. In the end, all of your patience will pay off.

As always, Happy writing.